Our Work

Unionville Waterfall Project

Name: Plant Man
Telephone: (704) 219-0160

A showpiece garden built from a blank canvas: a multi-tier boulder waterfall, a custom hand-shaped bluestone footbridge, and a recreation pond that connects directly to the client's own private lake.

At a Glance

Location

Unionville / Monroe area, NC

Project Type

New construction: landscape developed alongside the home build, not a renovation

Duration

Approximately 8 months

Plant Man's Role

Full landscape design and build, including water features, stonework, lighting, and planting

Design Intent

This property started as a blank canvas: new construction, with the landscape developed alongside the home build rather than added to an existing yard. A large pile of soil, displaced during construction, became the starting point. Elton climbed an excavator onto that pile himself and began carving and grading landforms that felt right for the size and shape of the berm, plotting how the water, the garden, and the views from the house would work together as he shaped the land, rather than imposing a fixed plan on the property from the start.

Construction began with the middle waterfall (the primary feature), establishing the direction for the whole composition before work moved upward into the rest of the landscape.

Partway through, conversations with the client led to a mid-project redesign: repositioning the water so both major waterfall areas are visible from the back porch and living room, not just up close. That change led directly to adding a footbridge to the water-feature garden.

Major Features Built

Multi-tier boulder waterfall: approximately 120 tons of boulders in the waterfall itself, and approximately 240 tons of boulder placed across the entire property
Custom hand-shaped bluestone footbridge: two large bluestone slabs, hand-shaped to remove their manufactured look, spanning approximately 6 feet, with a concealed center support pillar so the stones appear to span the water unsupported
Eastern red cedar stump: found on-site during construction and incorporated into the water feature, where it helps establish water elevation near the footbridge before water cascades into a subtler stream alongside the lawn
Recreation pond: a deeper, interactive water area approximately 4.5 feet deep, built with its bottom intentionally above the lake's water level to avoid groundwater pressure on the liner, with drainage built in, connecting the feature to the client's own private lake
Stepping-stone crossing: connects the lawn side of the garden to the fire-pit patio, with steps rising to the main flagstone patio
Custom water circulation system: approximately 500-600 feet of two 4-inch water lines to the pump location, and a custom-fabricated stainless-steel tripod support that suspends two pumps roughly 4 feet above the lake floor and 4 feet below the surface
Property-wide boulder placement, sequenced so heavy machinery could still move through the site before finished hardscape went in
Front-yard landscape islands in a large lawn/pasture area: Plant Man graded, prepped, and set the bed lines; sod installation was handled separately

This lower water area is a recreation pond, a pond-based recreational water environment integrated with the landscape and the client's existing private lake. It is not a swimming pool, and Plant Man was not the swimming-pool contractor on this project.

Gallery

The blank-canvas property before construction, graded soil and sand piles where the water feature would go — The blank canvas, before construction

An excavator placing boulders onto the graded berm during early construction of the waterfall — Placing boulders during construction

The custom-fabricated stainless steel tripod support built to suspend the water feature's circulation pumps, staged before installation — The custom pump support, built for this project

The eastern red cedar stump found on site during construction and worked into the water feature, with water flowing beneath it — The on-site cedar stump, built into the feature

The Plant Man crew planting a tree amid the finished boulder waterfall and stone steps, fall color in the trees — Planting the landscape, fall

Aerial view of the property mid-construction, showing the recreation pond and boulder waterfall taking shape beside the private lake — Aerial view, construction underway

Stepping stones crossing the recreation pond at golden hour, with a dock visible on the private lake beyond — Stepping stones toward the lake, golden hour

The multi-tier boulder waterfall and stone steps illuminated at night, showing the layered landscape lighting design — The waterfall, lit at night

Wide view of the finished boulder waterfall and stone steps in spring, with purple and pink perennials in full bloom — The finished waterfall, spring bloom

An Adirondack chair on the patio with the boulder waterfall and spring perennial garden beyond — Patio seating beside the spring garden

Wide summer view of the finished stone steps, patio, and boulder waterfall with seating overlooking the water — The finished waterfall & patio, summer

Aerial view of the finished water feature, stone patios, and recreation pond connecting to the private lake — Aerial view of the finished water feature

Key Materials

Tennessee sandstone boulders, sourced through a stone supplier Elton knows personally
Hand-shaped bluestone
FX Luminaire landscape lighting system: multiple zones, dimmable, app-controlled, installed front and rear

Landscape Lighting

Lighting is prominent around the water features and major landscape elements throughout the property, which is why this project has some of the strongest night photography in the Plant Man portfolio.

Planting

Approximately $750,000 of the client's own nursery plant material was installed, along with additional material Elton sourced specially where the design called for something different. Every plant was personally placed by Elton, considering color, seasonal interest, repetition of form, texture, sunlight requirements, and how the planting would look and function years into the future, not just at installation.

Why This Project Matters

The client owns a local wholesale nursery and intended this property as a showpiece, a garden where he could bring friends, customers, and industry contacts to see what mature, high-quality plant material looks like in a complete landscape. It's the most complete demonstration in the Plant Man portfolio of what happens when horticulture, stonework, water engineering, grading, and lighting are designed together as one project rather than as separate trades.

Related Services

Water Features & Waterfalls
Flagstone, used for the main patio and driveway walkway
Landscape Lighting
Planting Design & Horticulture
Landscape Design + Build (stonework and boulder work)

This project is part of Plant Man's work in Unionville / Monroe. See The Plant Man Process for how a project like this begins.

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